Triathlon Training

Sunday, March 20, 2011

THis is just a quick update. It's been a long time since I've posted a new entry so here's a quick update. I've been working with a few guys on a new blog called TriathlonGearReviews.com check it out if you get the chance.

Tuesday, October 17, 2006

Sometimes we need a boost of inspiration when training. So I decided to post the classic story of Dick and Rick Hoyt. If you are new to triathlon and haven't heard this story before please take the time to read it and watch the video below. I promise you it's worth it. The story below is from Sports Illustrated by Rick Reilly.

[From Sports Illustrated, By Rick Reilly]

I try to be a good father. Give my kids mulligans. Work nights to pay For their text messaging. Take them to swimsuit shoots.

But compared with Dick Hoyt, I suck.

Eighty-five times he's pushed his disabled son, Rick, 26.2 miles in Marathons. Eight times he's not only pushed him 26.2 miles in a Wheelchair but also towed him 2.4 miles in a dinghy while swimming and Pedaled him 112 miles in a seat on the handlebars--all in the same day.

Dick's also pulled him cross-country skiing, taken him on his back Mountain climbing and once hauled him across the U.S. On a bike. Makes Taking your son bowling look a little lame, right?

And what has Rick done for his father? Not much--except save his life.This love story began in Winchester , Mass. , 43 years ago, when Rick Was strangled by the umbilical cord during birth, leaving him Brain-damaged and unable to control his limbs.

"He'll be a vegetable the rest of his life;'' Dick says doctors told him And his wife, Judy, when Rick was nine months old. ``Put him in an Institution.''

But the Hoyts weren't buying it. They noticed the way Rick's eyes Followed them around the room. When Rick was 11 they took him to the Engineering department at Tufts University and asked if there was Anything to help the boy communicate. ``No way,'' Dick says he was told. ``There's nothing going on in his brain.''

"Tell him a joke,'' Dick countered. They did. Rick laughed. Turns out a Lot was going on in his brain. Rigged up with a computer that allowed Him to control the cursor by touching a switch with the side of his Head, Rick was finally able to communicate. First words? ``Go Bruins!'' And after a high school classmate was paralyzed in an accident and the School organized a charity run for him, Rick pecked out, ``Dad, I want To do that.''

Yeah, right. How was Dick, a self-described ``porker'' who never ran More than a mile at a time, going to push his son five miles? Still, he Tried. ``Then it was me who was handicapped,'' Dick says. ``I was sore For two weeks.''

That day changed Rick's life. ``Dad,'' he typed, ``when we were running, It felt like I wasn't disabled anymore!''

And that sentence changed Dick's life. He became obsessed with giving Rick that feeling as often as he could. He got into such hard-belly Shape that he and Rick were ready to try the 1979 Boston Marathon.

``No way,'' Dick was told by a race official. The Hoyts weren't quite a Single runner, and they weren't quite a wheelchair competitor. For a few Years Dick and Rick just joined the massive field and ran anyway, then They found a way to get into the race Officially: In 1983 they ran another marathon so fast they made the Qualifying time for Boston the following year.

Then somebody said, ``Hey, Dick, why not a triathlon?''

How's a guy who never learned to swim and hadn't ridden a bike since he Was six going to haul his 110-pound kid through a triathlon? Still, Dick Tried.

Now they've done 212 triathlons, including four grueling 15-hour Ironmans in Hawaii . It must be a buzzkill to be a 25-year-old stud Getting passed by an old guy towing a grown man in a dinghy, don't you Think?

Hey, Dick, why not see how you'd do on your own? ``No way,'' he says. Dick does it purely for ``the awesome feeling'' he gets seeing Rick with A cantaloupe smile as they run, swim and ride together.

This year, at ages 65 and 43, Dick and Rick finished their 24th Boston Marathon, in 5,083rd place out of more than 20,000 starters. Their best Time? Two hours, 40 minutes in 1992--only 35 minutes off the world Record, which, in case you don't keep track of these things, happens to Be held by a guy who was not pushing another man in a wheelchair at the Time.

``No question about it,'' Rick types. ``My dad is the Father of the Century.''

And Dick got something else out of all this too. Two years ago he had a Mild heart attack during a race. Doctors found that one of his arteries Was 95% clogged. ``If you hadn't been in such great shape,'' One doctor told him, ``you probably would've died 15 years ago.'' So, in a way, Dick and Rick saved each other's life.

Rick, who has his own apartment (he gets home care) and works in Boston, and Dick, retired from the military and living in Holland, Mass. , always find ways to be together. They give speeches around the country and compete in some backbreaking race every weekend, including this Father's Day.

That night, Rick will buy his dad dinner, but the thing he really wants to give him is a gift he can never buy.

``The thing I'd most like,'' Rick types, ``is that my dad sit in the chair and I push him once.''

Wednesday, October 04, 2006

This isn't a triathlon event but it's good training none the less. Peg and I have been doing longer rides on the weekends 50-60 miles in preparation for the MS150 ride this weekend. Day 1 is 100 miles and day 2 is 50 miles. All this riding is getting us to contimplate doing a Half Ironman or 70.3 which ever you prefer. Also I'm riding more because I'll be doing the bike leg of the San Diego Challenge to raise money for CAF. It's a half iron distance triathlon race. I signed up before realizing that it was a hilly and challenging bike.

Here's a picture of Peg, Roel, Adriana, and Zee at the end of our 60 mile training ride last week.

Thursday, August 31, 2006

The LA Triathlon is next week! This weekend on Sunday there is an open ride touring the LA Tri Cycle route. It's open to all comers so meet at Venice Beach at 7:30 am this Sunday 9/3/06.

Sorry I haven't made heftier posts about training all these past weeks. I've been super busy with One Tri. Last weekend I did 75 miles with Jaweed, Zee, and Peg. It was more so for the MS150 than the LA Tri, at any rate it was a great long ride. Here's a picture.

Friday, July 14, 2006

I rode with the Cosina Veloce ride group today. We did around 30 miles with a couple hills. It was a fun ride. This training ride meets every Thursday at New Century in Irvine. The team was formed to train for the MS150 ride which goal is to raise money for the MS society. Please visit the OneTri.com donation page to make your contribution.

Monday, July 10, 2006

Like many other people, work has picked up for me and forced me to alter my training plans. In the past few weeks I've been trying to squeeze in my work outs. This includes one work out of each of the following run, swim, bike, and strength. One week I rode more and one week I ran more. I don't have too much of a set schedule anymore. But I have been able to make sure I get in some longer work outs each week, 2-3 hour sessions. I've been putting some emphasis on my swim and bike because those are the areas where my potential to get faster are greatest. Good luck with your training.